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Last year, 22-year-old Taryn Davis lost her husband, Cpl. Michael W. Davis, in an IED bombing in Iraq. Not only was she heartbroken, but she was amazed by the lack of resources available for men and women who had lost their spouses in military conflicts.

So she decided to help fill that void herself in the form of the American Widow Project, a documentary and nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the spouses of men and women killed in military conflicts through the grieving process.

The documentary, shown at film festivals around the country, is comprised of Taryn's taped visits with young widows around the country. "It was for me," she told the New York Times of making the film. "I was hoping I would learn a little about what my life would be like without Michael. I really just wanted to know that I wasn't alone."

The AWP Web site provides a 24-hour hotline for widows, staffed by men and women who have lost military spouses. It also provides networking assistance to help connect widows with local people willing to volunteer services like babysitting and counseling.

The Web site's resources range from information on planning a funeral to dealing with military protocol, but perhaps most uniquely, the site provides forums for spouses to share stories, advice, memories and photographs to help one another cope with their grief.

Click here to preview the "American Widow Project" documentary, available for sale on the organization's Web site.




Also on Lemondrop: See how people around the country and world honored Veterans Day.

Veterans Day

    Florence Palko, standing next to her son Gary, pays tribute to her husband Walter Palko who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day in Arlington, Virginia, November 11, 2008. Florence shares her birthday with the national holiday and took the day to remember her husband who was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. REUTERS/Mitch Dumke (UNITED STATES)

    Reuters

    A large sign showing the number of U.S. troops killed in the war in Iraq is shown on Veteran's Day in a field of 4,824 wooden crosses in Lafayette, California November 11, 2008. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES)

    Reuters

    Lorna Levante and her eight-year-old daughter, Kelsey, visit a memorial constructed of 4,824 wooden crosses, the number of U.S. troops killed in the war in Iraq, on Veteran's Day in Lafayette, California November 11, 2008. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES)

    Reuters

    CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 11: (AFP OUT) U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (L) and Gulf War veteran Tammy Duckworth both their heads after placing a wreath to honor America's veterans on Veterans Day at the Bronze Soldiers Memorial November 11, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois, The national holiday, held on the anniversary of the end of World War I, honors all those who have served their country in the military. (Photo by Tannen Maury-Pool/Getty Images)

    Getty Images

    CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 11: (AFP OUT) U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (L) and Gulf War veteran Tammy Duckworth honor America's veterans on Veterans Day at the Bronze Soldiers Memorial November 11, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois, The national holiday, held on the anniversary of the end of World War I, honors all those who have served their country in the military. (Photo by Tannen Maury-Pool/Getty Images)

    Getty Images

    President and First Lady Laura Bush wave as they returned to JFK airport in New York on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008, following Veteran's Day ceremonies aboard the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. (AP Photo/Rick Maiman)

    AP

    President and First Lady Laura Bush wave as they returned to JFK airport in New York on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008, following Veteran's Day ceremonies aboard the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. (AP Photo/Rick Maiman)

    AP

    Rudy Castore, a World War II veteran, waves from a military truck during the Veterans Day parade in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

    AP

    UNIONDALE, NY - NOVEMBER 11: The New York Islander players stand through a moment of silence to commemorate Veteran's Day prior to their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 11, 2008 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

    Getty Images

    Vietnam veterans with the organization Veteran's for Peace march wearing masks of President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Veterans Day parade in Boston., Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

    AP